buff can now peek behind the drape ofWickedwith directorJon M. Chu , thanks tothe digital releaseof the Universal Pictures musical movie hit .
Wicked‘s home loss includes several bonus characteristic : deleted scenes , docu - style capacity , and a commentary cart track with stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — as well as a solo commentary with Chu . All of the extra sport exciting tidbits about the magic that went into making the visual modality of a fresh Oz exhort by theBroadway musical .
Chu ’s commentary in particular digs into the traditional knowledge inspired byThe Wizard of Ozand the time time period in which L. Frank Baum write the originalOzstories , andWicked‘s many court to the history of picture palace . Here ’s what we get a line from listening to him talk about the picture show all the manner through .
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TheWizard of Ozis an American fairytale
In the “ Dancing Through life-time ” saltation sequence , Chu masterfully point of reference classic Hollywood musicals while also conveying his affection for Baum ’s novel and its place in American history . “ It ’s interesting , Wizard of Ozis such an American fairy taradiddle . ” he shared , also nodding to the 1939 movie as well . “ It was written at the time of American modulation , leaving the Depression , going into state of war . It sort of deal with the American dream , and I have it away that we get to reinvestigate the American dreaming inWickedthrough a new position . And so we endeavor to take from images of Americana in terminal figure of locomotion , from the pool , to horseback , to boat , to a route , to a train , to flight , and how that changes our history and our flight . ” see closely , and you ’ll see there are connective threads from the movie ’s enchantress hat opening on the puddle to the mo Elphaba have flight of stairs in the concluding act .
The Flying Monkeys are Universal Monsters
“ You know when we opine about the vaporize monkeys , we often compare them to one of the many character in the monster universe of Universal , ” Chu state early in the commentary . “ And so portraying them in the most forcible and tangible , real room was something that we really want to do . ”
afterwards , alongside the final act , he describes the creature feature minute of their macrocosm , “ We get to do our definitive Universal Monster moment , the creation of the flying monkeys . We want to take our time in this , that it was painful and that their hair was turning into plumage as well . It ’s like Frankenstein awaken up . Even the dark shaft is a nod to those form of thing [ the ] American tales that we get to reinvestigate . And I bang that it ’s part triumph as well . you could find out the music actually gets victorious . So it ’s like , whose position are we [ watch over ] from ? And even Elphaba here on this shot , we do n’t know — is it amazing that she did thism or not ? And then thing start to hang aside . ”
In the Heightsalmost had a connection toWicked
The events of the picture thrill into action when Glinda is asked one very important interrogative sentence . A interrogative sentence that was almost asked by a frequent collaborator of Chu ’s . “ When that fair sex says , ‘ Glinda , is it true you were her friend ? ’ — I start out many birdsong from Lin - Manuel Miranda , who might have publicly also pinch it that he need to be that voice and that person , but I thought it would be too distracting , ” he admit . “ So , regretful Lin . ”
“The Wizard and I”
Elphaba ’s “ I need ” motivation inWickedis complicated . She does n’t actively like she was another colouring material besides green , Chu explicate — it ’s just everyone ’s telling her that she should n’t be green , and that sparks her ego - incertitude . “ The Wizard and I ” melodious number , Chu says , is when she realizes “ No , you know what ? I ’m respectable with being gullible . ”
The kaleidoscope trash sequence added to that feeling . “ I love that the light ’s in there . And she can just dream of what it would be like if she was n’t in her skin . Again , this will all come back after . When the wizard asks her , ‘ Is that your heart ’s desire ? You do n’t have to be green . ’ And she actually sacrifices her own wishes or possible want for the goodness of the animals . And I think that shows a lot of the eccentric of person she is and who we really desire to get across . So this figure is very important . ”
Chu continues . “ It ’s the antithesis to ‘ Defying Gravity , ’ where she has the opening of flight . She has the opening of taking it off , but she ’s not ready yet . We ’ve shew that she does have sight here , that there ’s a solemnization throughout Oz that has to do with her . She just does n’t eff the context of use . But we ’ve in reality already interpret it . And whether the interview picks it up or not , I ’m not sure . But we ’ll get it by the second picture . ”
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Yes, that’s a novelty song homage in “What Is this Feeling?”
To Chu , Elphaba and Glinda room together and clashing represents the puzzle of Oz represent by the two of them : “ Elphaba , she come in and you see sharper edges . She ’s the Z in Oz , and Glinda is the O. So these two things will collide visually . ” The way he depicted this involves a playfulness homage . “ I love this because it always reminded me of ‘ Hello Muddah , Hello Faddah , ’ this famous act of motor home compose to their parents at home . So I love the musical theme of being able to split screen here and run around with the bod . ”
Why isn’t that song called “Loathing”?
The dichotomy of the power between Elphaba and Glinda is clearly presented in this scene . While Elphaba is the one with the seeable potential , Glinda ’s power is her popularity , Chu explains . “ really , it ’s very brawny to fuck how to communicate and how to convert everybody of something . Her power will come later , but as merriment as it is to think about loathing and roommates loathing , it actually has a openhanded thematic theme for us . And I love the fact that even though Glinda can win every social office , the one thing she want to have magic and be accepted by Morrible is the affair that Elphaba has . ”
The birdcall , he continue , is “ called ‘ What is this smell ? ’ and people mean it ’s call in Loathing’—but in reality it ’s not loathing at all that is chance between them . We always say , ‘ We always stand the mass who are going to deepen the rest of our liveliness because no one desire to change . So , it ’s not even necessarilyloathing , it ’s just this person is go to exchange the rest of my life . ’ You do n’t want that , so it ’s funny to see that , because they will . ”
Elphie and Fiyero’s forest meet-cute
Chu also teased a very authoritative human relationship inWicked : For Goodbetween Elphaba and Fiyero . As seen in the movie , the pair actually play before Glinda meets Fiyero . “ We do n’t get into their full kinship with this picture , so again , these are just breadcrumbs that we ’re leading the interview very slowly , ” the director say . “ Sometimes it ’s intemperately , you know , what you want to design to compensate off subsequently that does n’t go into full realisation into this movie . But in a eldritch way , this movie is about possibilities and choices . And that by the final stage , Elphaba makes a big choice , and there are a lot of possibilities for where that choice can go . And movie two is more of the result of some of those . ”
The Wicked Witch of the West’s hat
A human relationship almost as important as the one between Galinda and Elphaba that ’s set up in this film is the relationship Elphie makes with her disgraceful pointy lid . Chu talks about the moment Galinda considers gifting it to Elphaba as a prank enable by Pfannee and ShenShen .
“ I love this here and now because it could be press in many different ways , but Glinda really is n’t a speculative someone here . She is being labour by Pfannee and ShenShen to give her the hat , and by seeing the Bible , the sorcery account book , that Elphaba brings in , it sort of pushes her even more to give her the hat . It ’s a very delicate moment because we do n’t need Glinda to be tight , and she ’s not . She ’s just young and she ’s being hale . ”
When her roommate apply her the lid , Elphaba ’s belike aware of the caper — but there ’s also something about it that speak to her . “ I love that Elphabadoesn’t have a large reaction to the hat of sort of like , ‘ What the heck is that ? ’ Instead she ’s really drawn to the chapeau and that it actually has an interesting connection . That it is n’t just rotary , that it has the sharpness to it . That these two will be draw together for all time as a symbolisation and as a cooperator in this journeying that she ’s about to go on . She does n’t even know it yet . And when she tip her head here as she count at it , I love that moment because it felt like she and the hat were one . ”
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A sister’s pair of shiny shoes
One of the fun Easter eggs from the film is Nessarose ’s place , a future iconic target in the realm ofOzlore . “ If you look at the lechatelierite shoes , it ’s designed to look like two tornadoes , or a tornado on each heel . And it ’s beautiful , ” Chu point out . The horseshoe were made typical for this loop of the story , which pass away back to the original book ’s crystallization pair ; the famed deep red carpet slipper were created for the Judy Garland pic . “ I do n’t even bang how it fits or if it ’s even well-heeled , because it does n’t look very comfortable . I ’ve never stress it on , but it ’s beautiful , ” he says of the intricate , unique design .
The Ozdust duet
In the Broadway melodic , it ’s a jape when Elphie trip the light fantastic toe like she does n’t wish what anyone else call back . But for the moving picture , Chu need to play the prospect a unlike way of life . “ [ It was ] much more important to us in this account that we still feel the hurt . That even though she does n’t lie with what to do , she ’s just making outer space for herself — and even if making space for herself is demeaning and difficult , that she just knows that she has to do it . Some mass say it bet like she ’s casting a charm or something , and perchance she is , over her own self and telling herself that she just has to be here And it ’s defiant but not too defiant , ” he allege , praising Erivo ’s interpretation of the moment . “ Defiant like , ‘ I ’m here even if it feels like the unfit thing in my life . ’ Because if we gave her too much of a noncompliant second like ‘ I ’m here and you have to deal with it and I ’m better than you , ’ it would n’t play as secure . ”
Galinda/Glinda is changedfor good
In the duet we also get another vast moment . “ We see Glinda blossoming in this minute and [ Ariana Grande ] is doing an amazing job of play this line because up to this item she ’s fundamentally play a comedic character with a little wind of Intelligence and sensitivity . But here she learn off the masquerade fully and you may see it in her eyes . I mean , this is not an leisurely scene by any means , ” Chu shares about the moment Grande and Erivo make their connection through touch .
“ In those two hands touching , which will be a symbol for the repose of the movie every time they bear on , this is the bosom of the movie . I have it away when I saw this in dry run and started to weep uncontrollably after follow them do it [ that ] this is what the movie would be about — this kinship and coming to see each other at their bare bones . And then the two of them could be bonded for life to be against the macrocosm . ” This public display of allyship , he explains , provides a space to see how they can to exhort a young propagation of Ozians to witness the baron of sufferance . It also “ shows the unlimited possibilities of what the futurity of Oz could be — and yet they will be influence by the propaganda of the wizard and Madame Morrible ” later on in part two .
Ariana Grande made “Popular” her own
Since “ bringing the emotion more to the Ozdust saltation between the two of them ” mean the friendship is excogitate more there , he did n’t want to lose its impact by continue the seriousness in “ Popular . ” This allowed Ariana Grande to make “ Popular ” her own , down to the extendedla - la - la - la .
“ This novel finish to ‘ pop , ’ we were n’t sure if we wanted to do an lengthened ending of it , ” the director explains . “ But when I ascertain that hallway , her in the middle of that hallway with the pink good morning lightness amount through—[that ] if Ari could do it all in one pellet and show how skilled she is at being Galinda , I call back this hall that it would be an inst classic . And so we popped this in last minute and she discover that choreography at the last second . And every time she did it , everyone ’s smiling was on their cheek . I mean that was a tour - de - force to see her . Ariana Grande at her peak Galinda , have that space … that silhouette , that iconic moment is sort of solidify in my brain forever . I hope the consultation feel that too . ”
The OG Broadway cameos
The lead adult female of the Ozdust player , of track , had to be played by the original Glinda and Elphaba : Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel . Chu hump this very well . “ They ’re playing the wise women , telling the history of Oz and how the Grimmerie came to be , and that they used to be the only people able to read the Grimmerie , but there was a prophecy of a new mortal that would be finally able to read it when they pass , ” Chu explicate . “ We bump out by and by that it ’s move to be Elphaba , but we tried to set up that story here . Whether people are actually listening or not , I have no idea , but we had to set up what the Grimmerie was and just to have them do it , it ’s just so fun . ”
He recalls how tightlipped the shoot had to be . “ It was the middle of the night , and I think they , to see this whale congeal that we had built for a picture show of a bequest that they built , these characters that they build from the ground up was a beautiful thing for them to see . We were all , again , all in rent all the prison term , and that Idina gets to do her iconic warfare cry and same thing with Kristin . She get to do her soprano , so fun . ”
The Wizard was inspired by Walt Disney
Chu had a fire creating the mavin with thespian Jeff Goldblum , who did things like “ magic and showing them trivial tricks and wiretap dance and stuff . ” He stay on to describe how they arrive up with this interlingual rendition of certain type of “ man of tomorrow . ”
Chu explains , “ This idea of the ultimate storyteller was something that we talked a lot about . How far would you go to delight people ? Even if it takes you to a place of this action and force and hatred or fear make things more entertaining . And what are you run to compromise for that ? So setting him up as a playful Peter Pan - alike character , Walt Disney - ish character fictitious character . It ’s sort of a want fulfilment that we ’re all able to do together . ”
Even the Wizard ’s Oz diorama palpate very World ’s Fair or early Disneyland manakin . “ And what would you require more than anything than Walt Disney to walk you into his like mathematical function of Disney ? So I sleep together this moment that he engender to present to them . That ’s what his thoughts will look like : Wish fulfilment . rive them into his sandbox . He actually says ‘ Come into my sandbox ’ and ‘ Play with my toys , ’ that ’s something I always wish well I had . And that sort of taps into a childhood fantasy of somebody that you want to fully trust . ” And probably should n’t .
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Wickedis like a Marvel musical movie
gratefully not likeRogers : The MusicalfromHawkeye — but with the natural action and big set pieces , Chu saysWickedis “ like a Marvel movie ” plus “ musical fantasy [ and ] coming of age . We kept saying this is the craziest movie we ’ve ever made — how can a genre have all of these things and plus be a melodious ? I do n’t guess we ’ve had experience like this before . ”
He explicate how all these elements had to descend together in the last act , with “ Defying Gravity ” localize up the next moving-picture show . We see the consternation being elevate against Elphaba and reaction from the other characters : the disappointment in “ Nessa [ as their ] Father-God has a heart attack . And Glinda is sort of relieved of the danger by Madame Moribble , [ who is ] live on to take her under her backstage , and how complicated that is for her . I think that moment is really hard . And Ariana just plays it perfectly , and then we see Fiyero flying out . We do n’t have a go at it where he ’s going to . Who is he going to ? And then of course Cynthia fly in and her declaration terror to the wizard . ”
In this succession , the stage is being set for the story ’s next act — even Boq stands alone in a Shiz overtaken by confusion . “ I roll in the hay this moment , I love this gibe . Everyone ’s telling . It just builds and soma , ” Chu says , and add how it all comes to a head with Elphaba ’s war yell . “ [ Erivo ] was singing it live on her rig . We ’re spin her around and she was like , ‘ I need to do this live . permit me do it . ’ And every time she did this note , our whole work party would just attempt to give back our hand clapping and yelling until she finished the note . And then it was just pure clapping , like standing ovation in the way . She ’s on the wire . Now she in all likelihood has bust in her oculus ordinarily doing it . And then to be able to end on this , her last takeoff . ”
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Wickedis now out in theaters and on digital;Wicked : For Goodcontinues the story this Thanksgiving .
need more io9 tidings ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on celluloid and goggle box , and everything you need to know about the future ofDoctor Who .
Ariana GrandeCynthia ErivoJon M. ChuUniversal PicturesWicked
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